The Freedom I Wished For
by VanillaStratos
Summary: Like the heavy chains of fate, the rules of society are absolute; unbendable, unbreakable. Happiness is something worth fighting for. Your life is your own to lead, and if you won't take control, someone else will. Raikim AU one-shot.


**Hey:D**

**Due to my very recent lack of updates, I've decided to finally get down to business and write down this idea that has really been bugging me all week! Now I can sit down and put my head into Chronos again!:D So to all of you wondering when the next update will be, sit tight, I'm working on it:)) **

**This one-shot is actually a result of a whole month of reading historical romance novels so it is romance romance ROMANCE and a liiiiitttlllleeee cheesy maybe; BUT YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! But I just hadtohadtoHADTO write a 1800s version of Raikim! It's definitely still Raimundo and Kimiko in there, just older and a little OOC to fit them into this time frame:) Hope you all like it~!**

* * *

Chains brushed against one another, clanging softly as the medallion was slowly lowered into the palm of her hand. She took a long glance at the intricate carvings on its shiny golden pendant, feeling a gentle smile spreading across her lips.

"It's beautiful."

"It was my mother's," he said. "It's probably the most valuable item that I will ever possess. I want you to have it."

She shifted a contemplating gaze from the shiny gold that she held to the one man before her. "Raimundo, I love it but… this belongs to you, I-" A pair of lips descending upon hers quickly silenced the girl as her attempt at returning the medallion back to his hand was promptly refused.

"It's yours now."

The darkness was quickly overcome by the beautiful array of colours which poured across the skies as the minutes ticked on. Just sitting here in comfortable silence was more than enough. She wanted this moment to last forever – for tomorrow to never come. But no matter how much she wished for it, there was nothing the girl could do to stop the sun from setting.

A gentle breeze picked up, the blades of grass underneath their feet dancing with the whispers of the wind, yet did nothing to remedy the dread which washed over them both. To suppress the tears, the girl drew a deep breath and although it was obvious that he noticed the sudden intake of air, the brunette said nothing as he continued to hold her in his warm embrace.

"Now that I'm going to be... _married,_" she choked out the last word, meeting his gaze. "What will you do?"

"Kimiko, I thought we agreed not to talk about this-"

"I know…"

A slight breeze took away what was left of this comfortable silence and after a second or two, Raimundo sighed.

"You see those mountains over there?" he pointed towards the landscape before them and Kimiko slowly nodded in response. "I heard that there's a country somewhere over those mountains where the people aren't controlled by a single ruling monarchy. They call themselves _The Republic_, a place where everyone is treated fairly. Equally."

His eyes seemed to sparkle as he recounted the rumoured existence of this utopia and she couldn't help but be intrigued.

"There isn't a ruler to make your decisions for you. Over there, you are free to make your own choices, free to lead your life the way you want to. Free to marry the one you choose." He sounded so confident – as if he knew for sure that such a country existed. "A wonderful place, is it not?"

"It sure is..." her words were lined with certain bitterness, and despite being firmly rooted to this damned city by her status as the daughter of a marquis, Kimiko found herself yearning to see this country for herself. His description continued on, painting a detailed picture of such a country in her mind. It took her several minutes, but Kimiko finally realised what the brunette had in mind to do. She felt the gentle smile on her face quickly slipping away.

"You're not planning to leave this country are you?" Concerned blue eyes met forest green ones. "You won't be able to!"

"I can and I will."

He sounded so confident. So fearless.

"You do know what would happen if you got caught trying to leave the country don't you?"

"Decapitation. I know." He answered simply and Kimiko flinched at the nonchalant tone of his voice. "But if a country like that truly exists as they say, I have to find it – no, I _will_ find it. Street rats like me have no future in godforsaken country. _They can't stop me._"

It was so like him to want to fight for what he wanted even if the consequences for failure were dire. After all, he was Raimundo – he was like the wind. Strong, fearless, _free._..

By now, the skies had turn a deep orange as the sun immersed itself into the horizon, its rays slowly disappearing behind the mountain range. Raimundo stood up from where he sat next to her, taking a few steps forward, breathing in the beauty of sunset. But Kimiko couldn't bring herself to do the same.

"I just wish you could come with me." Those forest green eyes remained locked onto the magnificent view as Raimundo spoke, his voice nothing more than a whisper.

"Raimundo I can't," the tone of her voice much harsher than intended. "You know I can't..."

His fists tightened for a second at her reply, but he seemed to have been able to suppress the sudden surge of emotions, for the muscles in those clenched fists relaxed in the next.

"You once told me that you wished to lead a life where you are free to shape your own destiny – that one day you wanted to be strong enough to fight for you own happiness." Raimundo said, his voice portraying grief rather than anger. "What happened to that brave girl I used to know? Where has _she_ gone?"

_She's a coward. And you're an idiot for trusting her._

The grass crunched underneath her feet as Kimiko made her way forward. Resting her head against his strong back, she wanted nothing more than to let the tears fall. But even so, she couldn't cry. Not here; not in front of him.

"_I'm sorry…_"

* * *

She could feel his hand tightening around her own as they came to a stop before the huge stone walls of the one place she called _home._

This was it. With this, it was all going to happen – the arranged marriage to a Duke, their farewell, his departure – they were all finally going to happen.

"Raimundo?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

Nothing good would come out of her asking, but she had to know – no, she _needed_ to. "When will you be departing for The Republic?"

"Tonight," he said, "after midnight when the number of guards at our country's border is at its least." He may have been unafraid of the consequences, but Raimundo Pedrosa was no idiot. There was no way in hell that he'd risk having himself locked away in a lowly prison cell, awaiting naught but death.

"Does-" She paused, unable to believe the words that were about to leave her own lips. "Does this mean I'll never see you again?"

He hesitated for a moment as if trying to find the right words to say, but in the end, settled for the simplest of answers.

"Probably so."

So that he wouldn't see the tears that were starting to fall, she turned away. "I see... In that case, I wish you a safe journey."

In truth, she was hoping for some form of reply – a reply that would give her some hope of their next meeting. However, seconds passed and alas, his reply never came.

With sunset gone and done, it was time for them to part – after all, Kimiko had to return to the safety of her bedchamber before anyone realised her absence. Her fingers reluctantly curled themselves around the overgrown vines which clung onto the rough stone surface before her and Raimundo took it as her cue to leave. Kimiko shifted her weight onto the foot that she had positioned into the tiny crack in the wall, feeling a pair of hands encircling her waist – the same way it always did – providing the gentle lift that she needed to scale the wall. And arriving at the top, she carefully swung her legs over the flat dusty surface, resigning to fate. But at the very least, she wasn't going to be the first to leave. No, she wanted to watch him go for the last time.

Turning back, she was fully prepared to have a clear view of Raimundo's back as he walked off, but to her surprise, instead of taking his leave, there he was just standing there, meeting her gaze. The look in his eyes was different from before… There was no longer just sorrow in those forest green orbs. She could see something else in them. Desperation perhaps.

"Come with me." His words were delivered in manner that was closer to a plea, but no matter how much she wished otherwise, her answer was still the same.

"I can't…"

But deep down, her heart was screaming.

_Please… Don't leave._

Raimundo's gaze shifted towards the ground, saddened, hurt. He turned on his heels, taking a step further away from where she sat atop this huge wall of stone and for a moment, Kimiko truly believed that he was about to exit her life for good. Slowly but surely, the distance between them continued to increase, the clicking of boots against the stone pavement seeming that much further away with each _click._ Step by step, it was fading away.

_Take me with you._

And all of a sudden, his footsteps came to a halt, seconds passing before he finally opened his mouth to speak.

"I'll be waiting," he said, not turning around to see her stunned expression. "At the place where we first met. Till midnight, I'll be waiting for you… if you change your mind."

Those words echoed in her head for hours after that. It was only then where the tears started to fall with seemingly no end.

_Don't go…_

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**AAAAAANNNDDDD that's it:) I've decided to be evil for once and leave this off with an open ending. What happens next is up to you to decide;) I actually had no intention of posting this or anything, just to get it off my chest, but boy am I fickle-minded! I ended up posting it anywaysXD**

**Although this was written in like what, one afternoon, as usual criticism is very much appreciated:)) Hope you guys liked it, depending on your responses I maaaaaayyy think of writing more one-shots:)! Thx for checkin this out!**


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